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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.S. Says There've Been More Coalition Airstrikes in Response to Iraqi Missile Fire
Aired October 01, 2002 - 05:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There may be no war in Iraq, at least for now. But the United States says there have been more coalition air strikes in response to Iraqi missile fire.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports from the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nineteen, muzzle flashes.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The just declassified video from a U.S. F-16 is two years old, but it shows what it looks like from the cockpit when Iraqi anti-aircraft gunners fire artillery at planes patrolling the no fly zones. Here, a year old video taken from an unmanned Predator spy plane shows an SA-3 surface to air missile being fired at U.S. or British planes.
The videos are the latest salvo in a Pentagon P.R. offensive designed to undercut Iraq's argument that it can be trusted to cooperate with U.N. inspectors.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Within hours of promising to fulfill the relevant Security Council resolutions and to do so "without conditions," Iraq was trying to shoot down and kill coalition pilots.
MCINTYRE: The Pentagon says since Iraq's letter arrived two weeks ago, Iraqi air defenses have fired at coalition aircraft 67 times, including 14 times over the past weekend.
RUMSFELD: With each missile launched at our air crews, Iraq expresses its contempt for the U.N. resolutions, a fact that must be kept in mind as their latest inspection offers are evaluated.
MCINTYRE: Recently, the U.S. and its British allies have been returning fire more often and targeting more critical air defenses.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We've also gone after their command and control, their command and control headquarters and their communications buildings to try to degrade this. And we've had some success there.
MCINTYRE: The stepped up response is most obvious in the southern no fly zone. According to the Pentagon, last year Iraq fired on coalition planes 430 times, provoking 32 allied strikes, a response rate of about 7 1/2 percent. So far this year, there have been 206 provocations in the south and 34 strikes in response, a rate of over 12 percent.
Russia, a key member of the U.N. Security Council, called the recent no fly zone strikes "a surge of activity" and said they "caused regret." "Anglo-American bombing raids," a Russian foreign ministry statement said, "create obstacles in the search for a political diplomatic settlement."
(on camera): The Pentagon rejects the idea it is creating any obstacles, arguing Iraq is firing first. And Defense Secretary Rumsfeld brushes off any suggestion the stepped up air attacks are paving the way for war. What bothers him, he says angrily, is that Iraqi gunners are still firing at U.S. and British pilots with impunity.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Response to Iraqi Missile Fire>
Aired October 1, 2002 - 05:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There may be no war in Iraq, at least for now. But the United States says there have been more coalition air strikes in response to Iraqi missile fire.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports from the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nineteen, muzzle flashes.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The just declassified video from a U.S. F-16 is two years old, but it shows what it looks like from the cockpit when Iraqi anti-aircraft gunners fire artillery at planes patrolling the no fly zones. Here, a year old video taken from an unmanned Predator spy plane shows an SA-3 surface to air missile being fired at U.S. or British planes.
The videos are the latest salvo in a Pentagon P.R. offensive designed to undercut Iraq's argument that it can be trusted to cooperate with U.N. inspectors.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Within hours of promising to fulfill the relevant Security Council resolutions and to do so "without conditions," Iraq was trying to shoot down and kill coalition pilots.
MCINTYRE: The Pentagon says since Iraq's letter arrived two weeks ago, Iraqi air defenses have fired at coalition aircraft 67 times, including 14 times over the past weekend.
RUMSFELD: With each missile launched at our air crews, Iraq expresses its contempt for the U.N. resolutions, a fact that must be kept in mind as their latest inspection offers are evaluated.
MCINTYRE: Recently, the U.S. and its British allies have been returning fire more often and targeting more critical air defenses.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We've also gone after their command and control, their command and control headquarters and their communications buildings to try to degrade this. And we've had some success there.
MCINTYRE: The stepped up response is most obvious in the southern no fly zone. According to the Pentagon, last year Iraq fired on coalition planes 430 times, provoking 32 allied strikes, a response rate of about 7 1/2 percent. So far this year, there have been 206 provocations in the south and 34 strikes in response, a rate of over 12 percent.
Russia, a key member of the U.N. Security Council, called the recent no fly zone strikes "a surge of activity" and said they "caused regret." "Anglo-American bombing raids," a Russian foreign ministry statement said, "create obstacles in the search for a political diplomatic settlement."
(on camera): The Pentagon rejects the idea it is creating any obstacles, arguing Iraq is firing first. And Defense Secretary Rumsfeld brushes off any suggestion the stepped up air attacks are paving the way for war. What bothers him, he says angrily, is that Iraqi gunners are still firing at U.S. and British pilots with impunity.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Response to Iraqi Missile Fire>
